The End of the Beginning
by Elise Marie
Summary: Trying to understand her new role in Oliver's world leads to more changes for Felicity Smoak, but then someone starts attacking all that she knows. Has her deeper involvement with him put herself in the firing line? General spoilers pre 2.09, mentions of drug use, possible character death within. Olicity. 14 Chapters in total.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The End of the Beginning**

**Spoilers: **General early season 2 spoilers, I started this after watching 2.09 so this diverges from there.

**Warnings: **Drug Use, Deaths, Angst, USTy moments Olicity

**Rating: **I'll say T for the "adult" themes, bad language and a few moments.

**Category:** UST mainly I guess

**Summary: **Trying to understand her new role in Oliver's world leads to more changes for Felicity Smoak, but then someone starts attacking all that she knows. Has her deeper involvement with him put herself in the firing line?

**Disclaimer: All characters and the universe they exist in belong to the CW, Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg and DC Comics. This piece of fan-fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was exchanged. No copyright infringement was intended and the original characters, situations and plots are property of the author. This piece of fan-fiction must not be archived without the author's consent.**

**Author's Notes: **I haven't written in years. This is the fic I started a few months ago, but posted _Two Words_ first. This fic is more like the fic of old for me (if you've read my other fandom stuff). This is mainly Olicity with some other characters making appearances when the plot needs it!

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

It was the middle of the afternoon and Felicity was sitting at her _'new'_ desk; it had been her desk for months now, but Felicity was still very unsure about the whole thing. It had all been Oliver's idea, he needed her closer. Not because he was her boss. Oliver needed her closer due to him being The Vigilante, The Hood; Felicity was still unsure. She loved her old job, she loved her old desk and the private little room that was all hers. Now, well, she thought as Felicity turned around at her desk to the large floor to ceiling window, now she had a fantastic view over the city, lots of natural daylight and lots of prying eyes. She was not a secretary. She was not a personal assistant. She did not make tea. She did not keep a planner. She did not answer the phone politely.

Sighing, Felicity knew that she loved the city sprawling out in front of her and that was why she was doing this. _Who needed future job prospects anyway?_

"I don't pay you to daydream," a shrill, tight voice said from behind her.

Turning back towards her desk, Felicity saw Oliver's new _'partner'_ standing there looking and sounding all perfect as she always did. "You don't pay me at all; Oliver does."

"You mean Mr Queen?" Before Felicity could say anything in reply, she continued. "Speaking of, where is Oliver? I need to speak with him. Now."

"He's not in the office right now."

"Where is he?" She demanded in the same tone; everything was always a demand. She continued before Felicity could answer again. "As his executive assistant you should be aware of his every move. Don't you have his daily itinerary there?"

If only anyone else knew of Oliver's every move; only she and Diggle did. "Oliver's," she stressed, "itinerary is constantly changing and he is out of the office on personal business. I can take a message."

"But will you remember to pass it on?"

"Excuse me?" Felicity demanded. She might not want the facade job that Oliver had given her, she might not want to do elements within it, but it by no means meant that she couldn't not do any of it.

"What exactly are your qualifications for this role, Ms Smoak? Or is your only qualification one that is better understood on a bed sheet than a sheet of paper?" Felicity's jaw dropped open, was she really being accused of sleeping her way from the computer department to a lower position of glorified secretary? "Although, you're not exactly his normal type, are you? Hardly as glamorous as his ex. Laurel Lance isn't it?"

Without a moment's thought about her female boss or the rest of her work day, Felicity stood up and stormed out. She was not going to be accused of sleeping her way into a job by anyone, let alone Isabel Rochev, the woman who definitely had slept with Oliver. There was only one person that could actually do anything about it other than Felicity herself quitting and walking completely away. Oliver had stated that it made far more sense for her to work closely with him professionally due to their work together saving Starling City. Sadly, Felicity agreed so she could not quit her job. She needed to speak with Oliver about Ms Rochev, despite how that made it seem as if she were running for help. She was perfectly able to fight her own battles, proving that on many occasions with Oliver himself, but he was the one that had got her into this mess so he could help get her out of it.

After trying his cell, and Diggle's with no answer, Felicity made her way to _Verdant_, and their secret lair underneath. Oliver was not there either. Standing there in front of her state of the art computers, Felicity truly missed her original day job at Queen Consolidated. She simply hated being confined to that one desk with the amazing view all day long. She detested being spoken to in a _tone_ by Isabel and plenty of other people when they rang. She wanted to vomit and throw things when members of the press managed to get through the switchboard and ask her highly inappropriate questions – there were still some areas of Oliver's life that she wished to know nothing of. Worst of all, she missed feeling independent, being her own boss and knowing that everyone knew she was capable. Too many believed she was sleeping with her boss and therefore truly incapable of being a personal assistant. She had no-one's respect anymore.

Sneakily months earlier, Felicity had installed applications on both Oliver and Diggle's cells so that she could trace them should she ever need to. Neither man knew, it was her emotional way of ensuring that both of them would be okay in the often dangerous situations they found themselves. It was only done so that she could find them if there were a problem, and never for personal reasons. This was a special circumstance, Felicity told herself as she activated the app and ran the search on Oliver's.


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver Queen's body was covered in scars. So many scars that some of them he no longer knew how they had come to be. Some of them were deep enough that he would never forget from where they came. Stepping out of the shower, Oliver began towelling himself of, avoiding the full length mirror that had once been a source of admiration. In his playboy days, he always admired himself, loved making sure he looked hot and ready for the night of drinking and fun ahead. Now, mirrors were more suitable for Oliver to make sure that he looked respectable, smart even. The only time he looked in full length mirrors was when he was fully dressed, checking out the lines of a suit. His bathroom mirror was only used for shaving nowadays. Often enough, Oliver would cover the mirror with a towel before undressing, just so that he could not catch a glimpse of himself and all of the mutilations. As he tied the end of the towel in a loose knot around his waist and walked into his bedroom from the en-suite, his bedroom door flew open, slamming against the heavy wooden wardrobe behind it.

"Hey!" he exclaimed to a very angry looking Felicity. "What's my furniture ever done to you?" She glared at his slight smile and Oliver realized very quickly that she was not in the mood for jokes. "What's wrong, Felicity?" he asked genuinely worried and not at all concerned about the breach of personal space.

"Apparently I slept my way from IT support to executive assistant, that's what's wrong."

"What?"

"With you, Oliver. Apparently I'm sleeping with you which is how you have an un-qualified assistant bringing you cups of coffee and keeping your diary. Except I don't make you cups of coffee and you never tell me where you are so I'm pretty rubbish at keeping your diary."

"I can keep you better informed."

"Argh!" she growled. "That is not the point."

"Oh, right, the sleeping with me thing."

"Uh-huh." She crossed her arms in anger and Oliver wanted to smile very slightly; he liked it when she got worked up over something. A lot of the time Felicity was his moral compass and he would change an approach to something after she got herself worked up. It was a positive characteristic of hers.

"Who's upset you?" Oliver knew that he would be able to rectify the problem, he was the boss after all. He also knew that he _had_ to rectify the problem.

"Isabel Stuck Up Rochev."

"Ah." Okay, that was the one person that he could not fire. "I'll have a word with her," Oliver promised.

"Have a word with? Oliver, I am not going to have her accusing me of things that are completely false when I have no way of fighting my corner other than revealing your," she lowered her voice, "little secret. I didn't sleep my way to EA," Felicity continued whispering dramatically, "I'm actually like his little side-kick in his late night business. Oh God," she groaned, "that sounds even worse."

The anger had dissipated from her stance and Oliver could not help but smile slightly at her babbling. Placing his damp hands on her shoulders he looked her in the eye. "I'll sort it out," he promised. "Now, can I please get dressed?"

"Yeah, sure," she responded in slight confusion as if she had only just realized he was half naked, dressed in a towel and still dripping wet. Oliver did not release her shoulders, however, he was busy looking out of the window and keeping her as motionless as he was. "What? What is it?"

"Ssh," he commanded and then the windows smashed in around them. Oliver pulled her toward him and ducked her down slightly, covering her and his own front from the splintering shards of glass. He felt a few graze against his back, but not broke the skin and he heard a thud as something landed behind him. Turning he saw a gas canister that has started releasing whatever gas it held inside. "This way."

He pulled Felicity after him as he headed back to his en-suite bathroom and closed the door behind him. There was only a small window in his en-suite so there was no gas canister, but the one in his bedroom had already started to creep in under the door. "In the shower," he commanded, gently pushing her as a prompt into the shower cubicle. He followed her in and turned the shower on, turning the heat up slightly and closing the glass door behind them. Depending on the exact gas being released, the steam could keep the presumably poisonous gas at bay. Depending on the densities of both.

"Oliver, what are you doing?" she asked as the water began to cascade down her face.

"The steam should stop that gas doing whatever it's meant to."

She glanced up over his shoulder and could see the gas permeating the room. "You might want to turn the heat up." Their eyes met for a brief second before she blushed and looked away. "On the water."

"You'll burn."

She moved in the small cubicle, trying to shift the bare skin of her face away from the water and managing to brush and then squeeze against Oliver's half naked body as she did so. Reaching his arm over, Oliver's hand stroked her face as he turned the water heat up and felt it a few seconds later mainly on his back; his scarred skin could barely feel it. As they both waited under the nearly boiling stream of water, Oliver suddenly became self-conscious of his naked upper body. All of his scars, his hidden pain was exposed in the close contact and he did not know how to process it. Felicity had seen him in various states of undress before, the night he had gone to her, revealing his hidden persona, she had seen him; Laurel and Isabel had both seen everything he hid, had touched everything he hid, but he had never felt this exposed before.

Glancing out behind him, Oliver could see the gas dissipating so he turned off the shower and manoeuvred himself out of the claustrophobic cubicle. Grabbing a towel he threw it back at a soaked Smoak and he left the en-suite and her behind.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Felicity was completely confused. She understood the whole shower thing, using the density of the hot water to keep the encroaching gas at bay, but Oliver's sudden moodiness made no sense. Neither did the fact that the Queen mansion was seemingly under attack. She was soaking wet, holding a towel that she was unsure what to do with, slightly concerned for her life and still slightly angry about Isabel's accusations. Was she supposed to dry herself? But her clothes would still be wet? Getting undressed and walking into Oliver Queen's bedroom in just a towel would not sit well with her given Isabel's comments. How could anyone think that she had slept her way into a job? How could anyone think that Oliver Queen, playboy extraordinaire would have slept with her? There were plenty of glamorous, attractive women that Oliver could have slept with and promoted just for sex. As Isabel had said, Felicity was not Oliver's type.

"Felicity, will you get out here please?" Oliver called in a whisper still managing his usual brusque, authoritative tone. Mumbling to herself about sex, types, gas and wet clothes, Felicity slowly walked into his bedroom, fearing that somehow given the canister attack that she would be walking into a trap.

Standing in front of some open wardrobe doors, Oliver was wearing jeans and a belt and he glanced over at her as he pulled a t-shirt down over his head. The wet towel was discarded on the floor next to him and the bedroom door was closed.

"Hide in here," he commanded."

"Excuse me?"

"Hide in here. I'm going to check out the building, find out what's going on. The landline is dead."

"What about your cell?"

Moving past her, he picked up his cell from his bed and pressed some buttons. "No signal. Someone must be jamming the area."

"They've only just put it on. I traced your cell to find out where you were."

Raising his eyebrows at her, Oliver then shook his head as if to say that he did not have time to question her right now. "Get in the wardrobe. I don't even know what type of gas it was. My family could be dying right now."

"I'm not hiding in the wardrobe whilst you risk your life out there. What if they are all dead and you get yourself killed and I have no idea when it's safe to come out? What if it's never safe to come out? I don't want to die in Oliver Queen's wardrobe. That would just be more fuel for Isabel." Oliver smiled despite the situation. "Don't laugh at me, Oliver."

"I can move faster if I don't have to worry about you."

"So you wouldn't worry about me freezing to death in your wardrobe?"

He sighed in annoyance and she held her hands up.

"Fine, I give in." She stepped towards him and the wardrobe and he held out a hand to help her up the step into it. Before both feet were on the base, Oliver's free hand moved swiftly to clamp around her mouth and for an instant Felicity feared he was trying to suffocate her to ensure her silence whilst he went all action man.

"Ssh," he whispered right into her ear, as he held her close to his upper body. It only took a few seconds before Felicity could hear what he could: footsteps.


	3. Chapter 3

As the footsteps got closer, Oliver realized that there was only one thing for it. He gently released Felicity's mouth and gently coaxed her to continue going into the wardrobe. Picking up his wet towel, he followed her in and closed the door behind them, dropping his wet towel once inside. He stepped over it to stand right in front of Felicity, his neck and back stooped slightly in the cramped insides. Felicity was standing up straight he noted. As the door to his bedroom opened, Oliver leaned forward some more and put a finger to her lips. He was ready to cover her mouth with his hand should he need to.

"Check the bathroom," a gruff male voice commanded and there were footsteps leading away and then back to directly outside the wardrobe.

"No one, boss," a second male voice said. "But the shower's wet. How far can one wet pretty-boy get?"

"The girl's missing, too. His girlfriend or whatever she is. Come on we gotta keep searching. He says we can't start the show until everyone's there." A few seconds later Oliver heard his bedroom door close. He waited a few more before removing his hand from Felicity and then did not move.

"What's going on?" Felicity whispered, but Oliver remained frozen. The inside of the wardrobe was dimly lit from the cracks in-between the doors, but Oliver did not see Felicity move closer to him. Their faces were almost touching as she questioned him, "Oliver?"

He could feel her word, her breath gently on his cheek and he was suddenly aware of her smell. Every morning when he turned up at work, usually later than her as, despite her side-kick status, his nights as _The Arrow_ were usually later, he was always welcomed by the sight of her sitting at the desk she hated with a smile for him. Sometimes she would have a cup of coffee waiting for him, normally there was not, but even over the strong distinctive smell of coffee beans, Oliver could always smell whatever made Felicity unique. Even now, surrounded by his clean laundered clothes in a scented antique wardrobe and her soaking wet, he could smell Felicity's scent and it woke him up.

"They're looking for me. They've attacked my home because of me. The Arrow, Oliver, The Vigilante, they can't be separate."

She cupped his face and tried to look into his eyes, but he refused. "They're looking for me, too. This might not have anything to do with you at all. But we need to find out before they do something risky to try and find us both."

Nodding, his prickly stubble rubbed against the softness of her hand and he held a breath in for a moment before turning away and exiting the wardrobe. "Grab a pair of my jeans, a tight belt and a random top." He nodded towards the en-suite. "I'll wait here."

"Promise?"

Any sensible person would remain hidden if he walked off and abandoned them, but Oliver knew that Felicity would come after him. "I promise."

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Once in the en-suite, random Oliver clothing in his hand, Felicity pushed the door so it was almost closed, but still slightly ajar and began to remove her soaking wet clothing. It was only as she stood there in only her underwear that Felicity realised that she was rather cold. Quickly drying off her body, Felicity was eager to get into Oliver's clothes. She paused mid-rub of her abdomen as she thought that and shook her head. Not only did she always say the wrong thing, she also thought everything wrong!

After drying herself, Felicity patted her underwear to try and remove some of the water and then stepped into Oliver's trousers. Yep, she thought, she would need the belt he offered. As she slipped the light blue, long sleeved t-shirt over her head, Felicity could smell the clean Oliver Queen smell. It was not exactly how he always smelt to her; the t-shirt was fresh from being laundered so there was no trace of his usual aftershave. Sometimes, usually first thing in the morning as he walked into the office, she could smell the washing detergent he used and not the slightly over-used aftershave, or the musty smell that she now associated with their evening fun.

"Felicity, will you hurry up?" Oliver hissed from behind the door and Felicity jumped in a mixture of surprise and shock. Opening the door, Felicity came face to face with Oliver and she startled slightly. "Ready?"

"Are my wet clothes okay just there?" She had put them in the base of the shower in a pile. He nodded in response and she continued. "I mean, I'll need them back at some point, but not whilst they're wet." She could already feel the t-shirt becoming damp from her bra. "I'm pleased to be out of my clothes though. I hadn't realised how cold I was." She began to babble. "I mean, I'm still a bit, but I guess that's my underwear."

"You left your underwear on?"

"What?" She asked wondering who should be more shocked at her decision. Maybe it was easier for men to go naked in someone else's clothes. "Just because the playboy likes to go commando. Anyway, you wouldn't want me bra-less in your top." She paused and blushed as his eyes automatically flicked down to her chest. In response, she crossed her arm across her chest and immediately felt the wetness start to soak through again and she growled in annoyance with herself.

"Come on," he said and motioned to the door as he began in that direction. In the doorway he paused silently and glanced outside, checking in both directions. Nodding at her, they both moved into the hall and Felicity automatically followed him through his house. "Oh, and after five years on that island; underwear's never really been an issue since." At his words Felicity stalled and her mouth opened then closed again before she blurted out:

"I really don't want to know anything about your underwear."

"It'd really give Isabel something to think about." His partial smile, the closest he ever really got to truly smiling told Felicity that he was joking. She did not find that joke funny.

"Oliver Queen, if I weren't trapped in your house... It's all because of her and her stupid assumptions that got me wet and into your clothes, you don't need to make it worse."

Grabbing her wrist, Oliver pulled her around a corner and then abruptly stopped and put a finger to his lips. After a few moments, he nodded and they set off again. "I'm making it worse?"

"Yes."

"You just declared you were wet and in my clothes." His eyebrow raised at her and Felicity could feel her face heat up as the blush spread over her cheeks.

"Like there's ever a chance of me getting into your clothes that way." Isabel's words echoed in her mind: _You're hardly his type_. The blush faded and Felicity suddenly felt pale and slightly faint.

They came upon a staircase after a few minutes of silence; not the main central staircase. Of course Queen Manor had more than one staircase. Still in silence they walked down the stairs and through rooms in which Felicity had never been before. Oliver made her pause by an open archway in a room filled with books that Felicity could only assume was some sort of library. Despite the number of parties held here that she had attended, Felicity had barely seen all of the house. There were voices coming from the next room.

"Still no sign of the other two." Said one of the male voices from Oliver's bedroom.

"I don't care about the girl; we can't start the games until the Queen Heir is here." Brilliant, thought Felicity, knock my self-esteem some more. The second voice was muffled as if the mouth was covered with something.

"The Boss'll never know," argued the first voice.

There was a loud crack and a muffle of pain. "I will and he will. Is this how incompetent you are? Have you even looked for the boy?"

"Boy?" Oliver mouthed at Felicity and she wanted to laugh at his outrage. He moved slightly as if about to reveal himself out of outrage and she grabbed his elbow.

"Don't rush in," she warned, shaking her head. Fighting the urge to glance around the corner, they could both only assume that the invaders had whoever was part of the game tied up in there.

"They might start hurting people until they find me. Anyone not part of the game."

"Like me?"

He seemed to consider this for a moment. "Retrace our steps and hide in my room. I'll convince them you left."

"Oliver, I'm not sure about that." Usually Felicity would not question Oliver in such matters, but what if they still wanted to find her, then she would have no protection at all. The fear and concern were etched on her face, her brow furrowed slightly and Oliver noticed immediately. She was caught off guard when he gently cupped her face in reassurance.

"Don't worry." They were two simple words with no further explanation, perhaps it was his calloused hand on her cheek. Unlike the rest of his body, Oliver's hands were not scarred but they were rough and calloused from his time on the island and his evening job. They were hardly the hands of a playboy millionaire who spent his time drinking and partying. Felicity felt reassured and met his eyes, nodding at him. "You go first."

She felt his eyes on her back as she walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

He watched her until she was completely out of his view and then continued to wait to give her enough time. Despite her wearing men's clothes, her walk was still distinctly Felicity-like. He studied her most of the time, as he did most of the people he cared deeply about. Oliver feared for her, along with his mother and sister. After his mother shooting him the year before, Oliver no longer worried as much about his mother, and Roy had been thoroughly vetted. He knew the reckless youth would be able to protect his little sister. It was Felicity he worried for most. She knew the truth, the secret behind the hood and she had no one else other than Oliver and Diggle.

She had to remain safe at all costs and if these home invaders wanted the Queen Heir for their games then he should be able to convince them that Felicity was not even in the house anymore.

"Looking for me, guys?" He stepped around the corner and spread his arms wide, plastering the fake, large smile he reserved for moments like this. From the overheard conversation, Oliver had decided that these men were not here for _The Vigilante, The Hood_, or _The Arrow_; they were here for the Queen family. And so he presented himself, the plain and basic Oliver Queen, not entirely dependable, or entirely always on time, but incredibly loyal, no special powers, no talents or gifts other than the ability to party all night and still look good the next day.

Sitting around the large family dining table were his mother, bound and gagged, Thea next to her also bound and gagged. Both were conscious and looked at him with abject fear. Oliver still did a double take whenever his mother looked at him like that, after he saw her shoot him as _The Vigilante_. How could she have been so incredibly strong in the face of an enemy with such a killer track record as he, but then have such care, fear and compassion for her son? Perhaps his ability to have two personas within him came from Moira Queen.

"Mr Queen," the guy seemingly in charge greeted him. He wore a mask, a plastic, cheap mask that was supposed to look like a previous President; Oliver thought it was nothing compared to his new Barry Allen created mask. "Well, we have a full house now. Please, sit." Gesturing to a chair for Oliver, he then nodded at one of the other henchmen who approached with some rope.

"Is that really needed?" Oliver smiled. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not so much into the bondage scene, guys."

Moira and Thea both rolled their eyes as the henchman pulled the ropes around Oliver's wrists behind the chair even tighter. Oliver faked a wince; he had been hurt far worse in the past and he had to give the impression that he was just a guy. Glancing to his left, Oliver saw Diggle slumped forward, unconscious and tied to the chair. There was no sign of the rest of their staff.

"That's alright, we'll save the bondage for this one." A fourth home invader entered the room from the opposite door by which Oliver had entered. He had Felicity by the upper arm, gripping her tightly through Oliver's shirt and she had a painful wince on her face.

Oliver pulled his arms, pulling at the rope restraining his wrists to see how much give they had. She was supposed to be safe. Flashbacks of her at Queen Consolidated, the Count holding a gun to her head, ran through his mind. He had killed for her. He had broken his promise to Tommy for her. He would do it again, for all of the people in the room currently. There was not much give in the ropes, but enough if the time truly called for it.

"Shall I put her with the other staff?" He pushed Felicity forward harshly and she winced again.

"Does she look like staff to you?" The masked man asked as he walked around to Felicity. "Wet hair," he glanced over at Oliver and chuckled slightly, "Men's clothing and a damp top." He stroked her chest, slightly above her breasts, but on the dampness caused by Felicity's wet bra. Felicity flinched away from his touch, the henchmen all chuckled, too, and Oliver visibly squirmed and his muscles tensed. The masked man noted his reaction. "Yep, this pretty little thing isn't staff. She's sleeping with a player."

Felicity was not going to like that, Oliver knew and he would probably have to answer for it all later.

"Tie her to the chair," be commanded as one henchman did. "Remove the other pretty ladies' gags. It's game time."

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Felicity had been sneaking up the stairs as stealthy as possible when she had come face to face with an ugly looking masked man who smiled as soon as he saw her. There had only been two options for her: try and get passed him or turn and try and out run him down the stairs. Neither option seemed like an option so she had given in and simply held her hands up. She felt foolish being tied up in a chair next to Oliver; he had taught her better than that. He had taught her some basic self-defence, was still training her, but he had sent her back to be safe and now she was just another victim. Just like when the Count had taken her. She had questioned her allegiance to Oliver that night. The Count had only preyed on her because of Oliver _The Arrow_. But then _The Arrow_ had killed for her. At first guilt had consumed her over Oliver's actions, but then Felicity had grown to realise that she could not walk away from either Oliver or _The Arrow_. Not even for Barry.

Oliver looked at her once the men turned their attention to ungagging the other women and his eyes asked her if she was okay. She gave a small smile. She was not hurt just embarrassed and a bit scared. She trusted Oliver with her life, one hundred percent, but there were two other women present that Oliver cared for far more. Closing her eyes, Felicity bowed her head; she was the least valuable person in the room, the most expendable and last on everyone's list. She doubted that Mrs Queen and Thea even knew who she was.

"Now, apologies," the gang leader said looking at Felicity. "I've been told how to play this game with the Queens. The bodyguard here is out cold, I was instructed that he did not need to play. I can let you join him, but you might prove more useful as a piece in the game. An expendable piece." He moved to the head of the table, in between Felicity and Moira who sat opposite. "Actually, I'll reveal a little secret rule. I've been ordered to not harm, in a lasting way, any Queen, but you," he looked at Felicity again, "You, I have no such rules for." He stroked her face, the cheek nearest him and Felicity tried to flinch away, but the ropes prevented her from moving far enough.

"Leave her alone," Oliver growled as Felicity wished once more that day that people would stop believing her to be his girlfriend. He fought against his restraints, but did not manage to get free and Felicity wondered whether it was out of choice right now.

"Cool it, billionaire heir. I can't do anything yet, the game hasn't even started!" He moved away from Felicity, who began breathing normally again, and looked at the entire table.

"What do you want?" Mrs Moira Queen asked in a cool and collected tone. Her ability to stay cool in any situation still surprised Felicity despite the fact that she had seen Mrs Queen be exactly the same throughout her trial that had been clearly leading to her death. Mama Queen seemed to have some of Oliver's ability to walk away from everything g unscathed.

"First question, where's daddy?"

"Dead," Mrs Queen answered with a hard face and voice.

"Where is he?"

"The bottom of the ocean," Oliver answered.

"Wrong!" The masked man said gleefully and cracked Felicity around the jaw with back of his hand. She felt the splintering pain before she could even begin to register what had actually happened. Her scream came a millisecond after, Oliver's curse a second after that and finally Moira's wince and Thea's sob. "I'll ask again: Where's Daddy?"

No one answered and Felicity never saw the movement that caused her pain. She felt the shock and pressure rattle in her wrists as her world turned upside down and her head snapped backwards, hitting something rock solid and hard. Her vision blurred, but she heard a whispering voice as everything went distantly quiet and then silent.

"Stay down."

It was Oliver and she had no choice as she passed out.


	5. Chapter 5

"Stay down," he whispered in her ear, acutely aware of her passing out moments later. Perhaps he could have bid his time a bit longer, learnt more about his captors, and hidden his talents for a bit longer. But he could not sit by and watch Felicity get hurt just to protect himself. Not her. He had loosened his restraints as his mother answered the masked man and as soon as he repeated his question, Oliver acted. Kicking both legs out, he kicked over his mother and Thea's chairs along with his own and he reached his arms out either side to pull both Felicity and Diggle with him.

Then he had been on his feet and took the henchmen out to their complete surprise. When he had turned around to deal with the masked leader, he was gone. Moving quickly, Oliver checked on his sister and mother first. Both of them were conscious and squirming but fine otherwise. Momentarily, Oliver agonised over which he should check on first: Diggle or Felicity. He had heard the unconscious Diggle breathing next to him when they were all tied up, but he had not been able to see any injuries so was unsure whether it was from being hit or some sort of drugging.

Moving to both of them, Oliver checked on them almost simultaneously, but Felicity was the one he returned to after assessing that all four people were all alive. Gently and very carefully, he lifted Felicity and the chair up just enough that he could untie her ropes. Then he effortlessly picked her up, cradling her as he placed her back down on the floor flat. He could already see the bruises starting to purple on Felicity's delicate porcelain wrists. She was going to be pissed when it hurt to try and work on her beloved computers and it was partially his fault. He was curious how her arm looked under his shirt where the henchman had a hold of her. One cheek was reddened, starkly different to the paler than pale other one.

Leaving her still and unconscious form, Oliver moved around the table and untied his sobbing sister and strangely calm mother. Nothing ever shook her. Before he had finished, Diggle had started to stir and Oliver caught him up to speed whilst he untied him. Their family doctor arrived before the police and checked over a still unconscious Felicity who Oliver had moved to the sofa. He barely left her side as they all spoke to the police.

"We'll make sure Ms Smoak comes in to give a statement," Oliver promised as his mother and Thea escorted the police to the door. Diggle had refused to rest or go home, instead he was already checking the security settings at Queen Manor, making sure that the site would be safe overnight at least. Alone with the sleeping Felicity, Oliver was confused by what he saw and felt. Their doctor had checked her over, she had stirred and awoken briefly, talking enough sense to appease the doctor. She needed to be watched for 24 hours if she was not going to be admitted to hospital, a notion that Oliver refused. How could he protect his family and Felicity if they were in separate locations?

She looked so innocent, harmless and tiny, lying there asleep. Her hair was curlier, frizzier than normal, his clothes that she was wearing were finally dry. He liked seeing her lying there in his clothes, but hated seeing the marks on her skin. Where his skin was scarred, rough and tanned, hers should be porcelain perfect. Lost in his thoughts he did not hear his mother enter the room until he heard a cough.

"Mother, how's Thea?"

"Asleep. I might sleep in the chair in her room." That would save him a job. There was a brief silence before Moira continued. "Are you sleeping with her?"

If Felicity heard that it would be the final straw today, Oliver thought, but he said nothing. He wanted to ask if it mattered, but all that thought did was make him question why he did not simply answer.

"She wouldn't be your usual type," Moira continued. "And that can be dangerous. For many reasons. She's your EA, correct?" He nodded. "Don't mix business and pleasure, trust me. Now, make her comfortable in a guest room. I'm going to sit nervously at my daughter's bedside."

"G'night, Mum." After a few moments of enjoying the silence in his home, Oliver picked Felicity up as if she were nothing but a feather and took her to his own bedroom.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Her head was buzzing. As she started to come to, Felicity opened her eyes and the dim light in the room made her eyes hurt for a moment. She had been tied to a chair in the Queen dining room, there had been a pain in her arms and then head and then... there had been darkness. Forcing herself to sit up it took Felicity a few moments to get her bearings and recognise Oliver's bedroom. Turning around a bit too fast, Felicity ignored the slight dizziness to try and figure out where Oliver was. He was not in his room.

As she tried to push herself up off of the bed, her wrists protested and she winced in pain before rolling up the sleeves of Oliver's shirt, seeing the red welts and purple bruises that had grown there. And her face hurt. She tried to stand again, managing to get to her feet this time, but she was shaky.

"Hey, careful, what are you doing?" Oliver said from the doorway. He rushed to her side.

"I'm not sure, actually."

"Lie back down and go to sleep."

"I can't sleep in my underwear and your trousers." Not to mention in his bed.

Without a word Oliver moved to in front of her and lifted up her t-shirt a little bit and undid the belt that she was wearing. She felt his fingers brush harmlessly over her abdomen as she fingered the belt and she hoped he had not seen any of her pale, untoned stomach. With the belt undone he did not need to do anything else as the jeans fell to the floor. "I don't think I should help you with your underwear. Sorry."

There was a softness in his voice that she questioned as he helped her step out of the jeans. "What are you sorry for?"

He did not release her hands as they both stood there and he answered. "For getting you into this mess. For transferring you. For allowing everyone to think you're sleeping with the boss. For dragging you into all of this because of the damn hood." There was a slight pause before he continued, his voice quieter and filled with even more emotion. "For you getting hurt. For you always getting hurt."

"None of it's your fault, Oliver. I could have walked away at any point. I think I even tried once." She forced a smile, hoping it would ease his burden. If there was anything Oliver Queen had enough of other than money, it was burden.

"Why did you stay?"

Her mouth opened to answer, closed again and then opened for her to say, "I'm tired."

Nodding, he said, "Thea's already asleep, but I can lend you more clothes."

"I'm fine in this," she gestured to her shirt. "I just need to..." She started to try and reach around and up to unclasp her bra; it was far too uncomfortable to sleep in. Although given the rest of her pains, she probably would not notice. Oliver lifted his hands up and paused, asking her permission with his eyes. She nodded mutely as he moved slightly closer and slid his hands up underneath the back of her t-shirt. His fingertips brushed against her skin as he neared the back strap of her bra and it made her shiver involuntarily.

He chuckled in response and gave her a genuine half smile to which she rolled her eyes. She considered punching his arm, but her wrists and arms in general hurt far too much. His hands deftly undid her bra and then slid each strap down her shoulders slightly before he looked at her questioningly. With her uninjured arm, Felicity reached up the other sleeve with only a small wince of pain and stretched the strap to get it over her arm. She then tried to do the same with the other side, but it hurt too much. Oliver moved one of his hands and copied her actions, moving it all the way up the sleeve of her shirt. Once he had removed the bra strap, the item of clothing fell onto the discarded jeans at their feet. His other hand was still lightly touching her shoulder blade.

As she heard the bra softly land, her mouth opened before her brain could stop her. "This is not how I ever expected this to happen." He raised an eyebrow at her; his hand still on her shoulder blade, holding her in place even if she had the power to move. "Not that I ever expected this to happen. I mean I am so far from your type. I mean, it's not how I ever imagined it happening." He smiled slightly at her. "No, I mean, I've never imagined this happening. Why would I imagine being held hostage in Queen Manor? I meant me getting undressed with you. No, wait, I never imagine getting naked with you. I repeat: I'm not your type. And you're my boss." Sometimes she wished he would just kiss her to shut her up, especially when his hand felt so warm on her back. She was sure that it was moving slightly, caressing her. "I should go to bed. Alone," she hastily added.


	6. Chapter 6

Sometimes, when she blabbed on and on, getting herself more and more caught up in words, he wished that he could stop her by kissing her. He would wait a certain amount of time because he mostly enjoyed when she did it, but when she started to get truly flustered, he wished that he could kiss her, either gently, almost platonically or crushing them with a desire and need that had built up over so long. But he could not. She was right: he was her boss. And her life was dangerous enough being the EA of Oliver Queen and the secret side-kick of _The Arrow_. If she were to become anything more, it would be far too dangerous. The Count was proof of that. Oliver was already willing to kill for her.

Moving his hands away from her, Felicity began to move away from him and Oliver stopped her by saying, "Where are you going? You're sleeping in here."

"Then where are you sleeping?"

"In my chair." Like mother like son.

"Don't be silly." There was a long pause. "Your bed's big enough."

Relenting, he waited until she was safely lying in the bed underneath the covers before he moved around to the other side and changing his own jeans for sweat pants and removing his t-shirt. He opted to lie on top of the covers as far on the edge of the bed as he could. Felicity reached over on her side and turned off the dim bedside light until they were in darkness and silence. He did not find sleep welcoming and from the sound of the breathing next to him neither did she.

"Aren't you cold?" Her voice finally and suddenly broke through the silence.

"I lived on an island for five years."

"Just because beds and underwear weren't available then doesn't mean you have to turn them down now, does it? You can't be a hero if you catch a cold."

"I'm not a hero," he replied, climbing under the covers, but remaining far away from her. Despite the distance, he could feel the heat of her body and he suddenly yearned for more warmth.

"You keep saving me."

"It's because of me that you keep getting hurt."

"I'm not…" _hurt_. She was going to finish, he knew. And he knew that it was a lie.

"How's your arm?" He had seen her wrists, red welts from the tight ropes and purple bruises from the fall, too. Her cheek was still red, but it might not bruise yet. Her right upper arm was where she had been grabbed and pushed around, the fall in the chair had probably not made it much better.

"Hurts to move. I probably couldn't turn and face you." A beat passed. "Not that I'd need to turn and face you. I mean, why would I need to face you in bed? Oh, God, I didn't mean that the other way either. Not that I-"

"Shut up, Felicity," he chuckled, wishing again that he could gently roll her onto her back and silence her with his lips.

"It's not your fault though." She said a few moments later, probably after her blush had faded. "And you do keep saving me. I only feel safe in this city because of you. Whenever I'm undercover or we're all out on a case, Diggle being there is reassuring, but you being nearby is comforting. I know you have me. I know that you can save me from anything."

He had not been able to save Tommy. Or Shado. Or his father.

"Oliver?"

"Yes?"

"Ignoring certain things I've said, and my entire reason for even being in your house today, would you..? Could you..?"

"What, Felicity?" he asked, feeling a lump in his throat.

"Would you hold me? To sleep, I mean? Please?"

Shifting the bed covers slightly, wordlessly Oliver moved over in the bed and rolled onto his left hand side and gently allowed his chest to touch her back. He wanted to move closer to the warmth, but he daren't. Gingerly he placed his right hand on her waist, not wanting to knock her bruised arm or put too much pressure on her ribcage. He heard her sigh and her breathing settled out, slowed and deepened. She shifted backwards, almost snuggling into him as both of their bodies curled to fit each other and his hand fell further around her. Her injured hand came to rest on top of his and her fingers intertwined with his. Her scent was filling his nostrils again and he wanted nothing more than to move even closer to her. Suddenly all of his usual strength and restraint seemed like nothing.

Out of the blue, she giggled softly into the pillow. "What?" he questioned.

"I came over here complaining of Isabel accusing me of sleeping with you and here I am curled up in bed with you."

"I won't tell her if you don't."

"For your image?" There was a laugh in her voice, but he could hear the slight break that was there, too.

He gently placed a kiss on the soft skin of her neck and he felt her shiver; it reverberated down his entire being. "Felicity Smoak, when are you going to realize that no one knows me truly apart from you and Diggle? My image and my type are what others perceive."

"And I'm perceiving them wrong?"

"If there were no Arrow, this would be so different right now." He pressed his lips to her neck again and held them there a little longer. If he did not have his second job, the fear of risking those who knew and cared for him, he would not hesitate in freely feeling and acting on those feelings with the woman in his arms.

"If there were no Arrow, I would still be simply a girl on your payroll that you'd never even met."

"Remind me to thank him."


	7. Chapter 7

A week passed since the Queen Manor home invasion and there was still no lead on the masked man; the three captured henchmen were not giving anything away. It was infuriating Oliver to no end, it was obvious to both Felicity and Diggle. He was snappier than usual in the office, a little more reckless in his night job and a little more forceful in a fistfight. Even Diggle had been the brunt of his infuriation one day on the training mats. At least Felicity hoped that was all that it was. She had awoken still gently wrapped in Oliver's arms and nothing had been noticeably wrong that morning, not even as Oliver had taken her down for breakfast with Mrs Queen, Thea and a rather tired looking Diggle; he had been the only to smile genuinely at her.

They had not mentioned anything said to each other that night.

Felicity figured that it was all just best left in that moment. Glancing up to the door in front of her desk at Queen Consolidated, Felicity groaned as Isabel Rochev approached with her usual stony face. The Queen of Mean had not been in the office, or Starling City, since that afternoon and Felicity did not really want to get insulted again.

"Ms Rochev, how can I-" Isabel cut her off as if she were nothing.

"I need to speak with Oliver." She did not even pause as she sauntered past Felicity's desk and towards Oliver's office.

In his usual stealthy, silent manor, Oliver was already in his doorway. Isabel faltered in her steps but revealed no surprise on her face. She opened her mouth to speak and Oliver simply spoke over her just as she had done to Felicity. "Ms Rochev," he said very formally and brusquely. "I have a meeting I need to get to, but we'll speak with your EA and arrange a meeting. Felicity, we're late." Oliver moved passed Isabel and Felicity flustered and stood up, grabbing her bag as she followed him to the door. He paused abruptly and she almost ran into him as he turned around and addressed Isabel again. "Oh, and whilst you are a partner in my company, I cannot change that at the moment, I can set some ground rules." She attempted to interrupt him. He continued over her. "My personal life is just that, Ms Rochev, as is that of all my personal staff. You will not question it, you will not comment on it, to myself or anyone else. Are we clear?"

"And when it affects my business, I will question what I want. Is that clear?" She still remained unflustered.

"To me and me alone, perfectly. Leave my staff alone." Oliver did not wait for her to say anything else, he turned and walked off again so that Felicity had to run a few steps to catch up. Once they were in the elevator and descending, she glanced over at him; he was staring directly in front of him in his usual way.

"Thank you." She turned back away from him.

"Anytime."

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Two days later, Oliver was making his way through _Verdant_ on a busy, packed night when Isabel stopped him. Sometimes, for a few moments he would stand on a balcony or staircase and look out over all of the partying people in the club that had once been his. He had no qualms with Thea having taken it over; he had retreated to an island of hell and now he had QC to deal with. She was doing an amazing job of it, too. He watched the guys hitting on girls, smiling at those who lucked out time and time again, narrowing his eyes at those that looked seedy and questionable, shaking his head at the ones most like the old him. He worried for the girls who seemed to be too drunk, who seemed to be taken in by the seedy or playboy guys, he questioned some of the clothing that the girls wore, the exact look that would have attracted him in his old days, but now made him question and worry. Perhaps it was his Arrow status. Or he was simply getting old.

"What do you want, Ms Rochev?" He asked with only a side glance at her. She had managed to find him at his favourite vantage point, one of the balconies. Still dressed smartly, but not in her office wear, he had not noticed her down below but had still managed to hear her approaching. "Can't it wait until we're back in the office? Work can wait."

"This can't be said in the office apparently." He raised a curious eyebrow but refused to turn to look at her. He almost missed what she said when he spotted a blonde moving through the heaving crowds. He knew her anywhere, for her safety he followed and watched her enough, it was Felicity arriving for her second unpaid job. Her sacrifices made him feel guilty. He worked day and night for his own mission, because he needed to whereas she chose to. She had chosen to help him and his agenda, but she had not chosen to give up her job and career. She had not truly chosen to work so many hours for so little other than personal satisfaction. There was no monetary reward for her and he had all the money in the world.

"What is it, I'm busy?"

"Going to meet your girlfriend down there? Meet up in a secluded corridor or office? I already know that you're happy to mix business with pleasure, remember Russia?"

"What happened then was a one off, a mistake."

Perhaps it was that word that finally got a reaction out of her. "What do you even see in her?" She demanded angrily.

He turned to her and stepped closer so that she could hear him clearly above the loud music. "She's smart, funny, friendly, nice, can crack a smile, Hell, Felicity can laugh. She's not a bitch, she'll tell you upfront if she's got a problem with you, but not to make you feel bad." He laughed slightly, rocking backwards on his feet and then back towards her. "She's not you."

He stood up straight, ignored the sterner than usual look on her hard face and walked off. It was time to start his night job. Pausing a few steps away from, he turned back to her briefly. "Oh, and all this crap about Felicity being my EA stops. Now. She does the job I need her to, how I need her to and she's damn good at it."

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

She never enjoyed forcing her way through the crowded club filled with underage girls, guys looking for a quick lay, both sexes looking for the one off person that could make them forget their daily problems. They all stunk of sex, pent up desire for it or just done it in the alley or toilets kind of sex. Clubs like _Verdant_ had a VIP list that Felicity could never have made it onto until she met Oliver. Without Oliver, she would have queued for hours outside marvelling at all of the pretty people passing by in their designer perfect looking clothes.

Sighing at her life long ago, now the only time she got near a club like _Verdant_, or any club, was when she was working underneath it, or working undercover in it. Not that she ever had the time off to go out drinking or the friends really to join, or even the inclination. Whilst those young, scantily clad girls were trying to find a potential suitor, that sort of environment had never led Felicity to finding a guy. She would rather have met someone on an online forum or at Comic Con. Neither of which were locations one would ever find Oliver Queen.

Settling herself down at the desk she much rather preferred to work at with a cup of coffee, Felicity turned all of her monitors back on. There was a search running on one screen, every search term and possible database trying to find more on the home invaders. Her wrists were still sore, slight bruises still there although they were fading and her upper arm was much better. Her second screen had multiple windows each with a different security camera from inside and outside of _Verdant_. Facial recognition software was always running on them, to keep Thea safe, Oliver always said, but it had helped them in the search for people, too.

A camera screen changed to show Oliver and it caught Felicity's attention. Behind him was Isabel. Pressing a few keys, Felicity transferred that camera to a third computer screen and expanded the stream. Quickly glancing around her to make sure that Diggle was not around and able to witness her spying. She felt guilty even though she could not hear was being said so was hardly spying in its truest sense. Plus, she tried to reason with herself, Oliver had been known to watch her, to keep her safe. She was watching Oliver to keep him safe from Isabel.

On the screen, Oliver turned around, his back to the camera and then approached Isabel. Felicity could not see what he was saying, she was not too good at lip reading anyway, so she opened a new window and brought up another camera facing the opposite direction so she could see Oliver's face to at least read his facial expression. He was whispering closely into Isabel's ear, his face clouded in shadow. Then be pulled away, seemed happy, leaned in again and then walked away.

In annoyance, Felicity closed the new windows and tried to focus on the searches she was running except her mind was too full. She managed to ignore certain thoughts most of the time, the ones that related directly to Oliver, however sometimes the thoughts were too prominent in her mind. Sometimes that was all because of Isabel. Felicity could happily exist with her forbidden thoughts, the occasional daydream and mostly ignoring what was screaming within her mind. Oliver could have dated anyone else and Felicity thought she would have been fine with it. When Sara had returned, Felicity had not been happy but she had understood Oliver's feelings. If things had developed with Laurel, she would have understood.

There was nothing she understood about Isabel Rochev, not from a Vigilante, an Arrow or Playboy Oliver point of view at all.

"I just don't get it," she grumbled under her breath.

"Get what?" Oliver asked from behind her. Swivelling quickly and guiltily in her chair, Felicity flushed for a moment in embarrassment and then shook her head. She stood up and crossed her arms across her chest. "This looks serious."

"Why her?" She asked boldly.

"Her who?" He was looking at all of his bows and arrows and she wondered if he was trying to avoid her.

"Russia."

He looked down at his feet, balled his hands in his trouser pockets and then looked back up at her, an uneasy look on his face. "I thought what happened in Russia stayed in Russia. They were your words."

"Yeah, yeah they were," she nodded. "But that was before she decided to keep rubbing it in my face, telling me I'm not your type, questioning my work ability, me in general, insinuating that I'm a whore because there's no way you could be interested in me otherwise, or that I could not do my job if I weren't spreading my legs."

He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes despite the fact that he looked adorable. She forced her face to look sterner. "Okay," he held his hands up in defence. "Trust me you don't have to worry about her anymore. And I'm sorry that she made you feel like that. I never want you to feel like that and I never want to hear that anyone's ever called you a whore. Never. And I told you before about my type. Isabel doesn't know anything about me other than the public perception."

"Why her?" She repeated in a softer voice. "And not me."

He stepped towards her until he was standing right in front of her. "That's quite simple really," he whispered hoarsely, completely invading her personal space. Usually an invasion like that would simply distract her, feeling his breath on her and inhaling the unique Oliver scent. She had long past the blushing phase when he was close by, but that did not stop her feeling a strong heat on her cheeks this time. "You're not a distraction. You're not a one time thing. You're not a quick fuck up against a wall or someone for me to use. You're far more than that."

"Prove it," she heard herself saying. Her lips were dry, her breathing irregular as her whole entire mouth dried up as his eyes remained fixated on hers. She could not read what was behind them and she had no idea where her dare had come from.

"Prove what?" He queried.

"That those are the only reasons. That it isn't because Mr Playboy Queen wouldn't touch the lowly IT Geek Smoak unless there were an ulterior motive." She was not sure what she expected him to say; how could he admit to being attracted to her if he wasn't? What if all he had meant was that he cared for her too much as a friend to use her in such a way? Is that really what she wanted him to say?

Oliver did not say anything. He seemed to move swiftly through the very small distance and crushed his lips to hers, pressing her up against her desk with his whole body. If Felicity had thought he was invading her personal space before, he had removed all notion of it now. His tongue forced her mouth open and she embarrassed herself by whimpering at the action. He held her in place by his hands on her hips, holding them slightly away from him whilst his upper body pressed firmly against her breasts. She could feel his chest rising and falling with each breath; hers was moving far faster. This was not what she had expected. Her own hands finally woke up and found their way up to his neck, pulling him closer and his tongue deeper all of their own volition. Until he broke away and she felt bereft for a moment until he began to trail kisses across her cheek and down to where her neck met her shoulder. He nibbled slightly and she groaned and felt her knees buckle, his hands on her hips preventing her from going anywhere.

And then he started sucking and nipping alternately.

Not in her wildest dreams had she seen her day ending this way, never in a million years.

Her eyes popped open as she realised that she had no idea what underwear she was wearing; it probably was not even matching. As if sensing her break in enjoyment, Oliver pulled away and met her eyes. Where his were alert and full hers were drowsy and half lidded, the dull aching in her neck a constant reminder of where his lips, tongue and teeth had just been.

"Proof enough?" His voice was a whisper and she could only nod in response not able to trust her own voice. "My type, that everyone thinks is my type, was in another lifetime. I could try and find all the right words to explain away Isabel, but I don't want to talk to you about anyone in my past. She won't be saying anything else. She will never imply you're a whore again and you will tell me if anyone else ever does."

He released his hold on her hips and stepped further away. "And whilst I hope that kiss showed you that I'd rather like to, how did you say it, _enjoy you spreading your legs_?" She blushed and looked down at the floor. "I think Isabel's bitchy comments are likely to be gossip elsewhere at QC and I wouldn't want to ruin your image." He was not using his night job as an excuse, presumably, she thought, because she was already far too involved with _The Arrow_. "Good night, Felicity," He began to leave the lair, but paused and called over his shoulder. "You might need something more than concealer to cover that mark."

"And you might need to wipe that bright pink lipstick off your entire face." She smirked to herself as he brought a hand up to his face, chuckled slightly and then continued walking. Felicity then sat down and twirled around in her seat to focus on her computer screen. Maybe she was not just the geeky IT girl.


	8. Chapter 8

Deciding that he was rather bored with working, Oliver sat back in the world's comfiest office chair and glanced out of the window to where he could see out across all of Starling City. That was what he was fighting for with his every breath, every single decent man, woman and child down there all going about their daily business and none of them lucky enough to be as privileged as he. Although privilege came with its own disadvantages. Everything he did was under the spotlight, most of his actions monitored every second of the day. Whilst his lifestyle had definitely changed since before the island, his public persona was not in line with his new life. He was no longer falling out of clubs in the middle of the night, drunker than drunk with a different girl on his arm every night, but he still managed to get his photo in the trashy tabloids at least once a week. Of course a lot of those times it had been because of his mother's trial and not actually who Oliver was.

Sometimes he yearned for a more normal life, not just one without _The Arrow_, but for one without the money and the Queen name. If he thought back hard enough, he did not like the man he had once been and wondered if he would have grown up just as Tommy had. Would he have continued in his ways and been even closer to liver cirrhosis? What Oliver would give to just be a normal guy? Without all of the money and without all of the media so he could just live his life in peace. So he could just settle down.

Movement in his outer office caught his eye as Felicity stood up from the desk he knew she hated and, picking up her coffee cup, headed to the little side room that was a very basic kitchen for the two of them and any meetings Oliver needed simple catering for. Checking his jacket pocket, Oliver followed her.

The kitchen was tiny. It was actually more of a cupboard with a shelf at waist height on which there was enough room for a coffee machine and a small refrigerator underneath. It was so tiny that only one person could fit comfortably with the door closed, two people was a very tight squeeze. Oliver had had it installed after 'promoting' Felicity. She refused to make him coffee, other than that one time, because that was not what she spent so long studying and loved to do. Oliver understood. In her own way, Felicity was living a double life just like he: EA by day, geek girl by night. She would rather be the geek girl, forced to be the EA. Oliver sometimes wondered which role it was that he was forced into being.

Strangely though, in her role as geek girl, Felicity would happily bring him a drink as he trained or cleaned his weapons. She was a delightfully odd woman.

"Hey," he greeted not wanting to scare her as he approached.

"Oh, hi. Want a drink?" She was also happy to make him a drink if he was there, she just would not bring him the drink.

"Thanks," he said pulling the door closed and containing them both inside. The room smelt like freshly brewed coffee but there was the slightest hint of Felicity's shampoo he was that close to her hair. She was pretty much trapped mid-way, facing neither the coffee pot nor Oliver.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr Queen?" He was not sure if she was trying to be serious in the workplace or brazen and flirty.

"I thought you could do with this." In the tight confines he passed her a smallish prettily wrapped present.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"You haven't accused me of sexual harassment." His eyes flickered to the place where there was a giant hickie. She had covered it with her shirt collar and a scarf.

"For trapping me in here." She twisted her hips to turn to face him and in doing so rubbed against his groin. "Thank you, Mr Queen." She took the lid off of the package to see a scarf in a shade of pink Oliver had often seen her in.

"I thought you might like to wear it outside of work." He meant to the lair.

"Okay, I give in with this," she sighed. "I don't get it. I can try and be all flirty with you now I now that I don't repulse you, but you can't make out with me, give me the biggest hickie of my life, tell me you may want but cannot be with me mainly because you're my boss and then come into work and seemingly flirt with me in the break room. Unless of course I'm reading all of the signals wrong. Including the one down there right now."

She looked downwards where their bodies were touching and where a lot of his blood was flowing to. "You're right. I'm sorry. Again," he said as he opened the door and started to back out, "thanks for not going to HR."

She smiled and shook her head at him, returning to her task of making a fresh pot of coffee. Standing at a distance, Oliver waited for her to make his coffee. "I've cleared your afternoon," she said to him. "Because of, you know, family time. Oh, and Thea and your mom said that they'd both meet you here at two. Which is in," they both glanced at their watches. "Now."

She handed him his coffee which he doubted now that he would be able to drink, but thanked her for the gesture anyway. They paused for a moment, looking at each other, starting to lose themselves in the moment when it was suddenly ended by a piercing scream followed quickly by gun fire.

"Stay in here," he commanded with a firm grip on her shoulders. "Call the police." And he ran off in the direction of trouble. As the normal dictated.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been two days since the shooting at Queen Consolidated and Felicity had been left completely out of the loop. After Oliver left her in the break room she had realised that she did not have her cell on her. She had cursed herself and spent a few seconds wondering which of Oliver's commands she should follow. Eventually common sense lost and she left the safety of the tiny room where she was perfectly hidden from a potential madman and quietly walked over to her desk and then crouched down behind it to dial the emergency services.

They had arrived promptly, but she had not seen any of the Queens or Diggle since. All of the reports said the same: there was only one injury, there had only been one shot fired. It was Thea. Oliver, Mrs Queen and Diggle had gone to the hospital with her and none of them had been since. Their cells were all switched off, no one could blame them, but no news had come out of the hospital at all. Felicity had tried gaining access as Oliver's EA to no avail. There was nothing to know, even on the celebrity blogs, they were all reporting the same thing, just that there had been a shooting.

Eventually, Felicity had headed to _Verdant_ to get to the lair and see if she could maybe try and hack into the hospital. Maybe then she could get some answers. _Verdant_ was open, the deputy manager had done so and Felicity had seen Roy sulking about near the offices. All he knew was what the press were reporting, that his girlfriend had been shot and despite the Queens knowing that Roy was dating Thea he had not been able to gain access to her. They were both in the dark.

She had sat at her computer screens for hours, eventually getting into the hospital system, but finding no trace of Thea Queen in their database. She had also gone into the Queen Consolidated camera system and found the moment Thea had been shot. She had seen Moira collapse down next to her and Oliver run onto the scene, his face breaking as he saw his sister. It had brought tears to Felicity's eyes. There had been so much blood. Rewinding the recording further, Felicity had traced the shooter back. He had worn the stupid president mask when he shot Thea, one shot and then he left, but he could not have entered the building wearing it. She kept rewinding until she found it, the sharp suited man showing his face and she used that image to start a search of every system and database she knew. She would find him.

It kept nagging at her however that he had a different build to the masked man who had slapped her across the face. But the mask was the same so it had to be linked, right?

After she found herself starting to fall asleep, Felicity decided to head home and she realised that _Verdant_ was already closed. In all of her late nights working underneath _Verdant_ she had never felt unsettled or scared leaving. Except perhaps for the night the Glades went up. There was usually always someone else in the lair; Oliver was usually the last one out.

The next two days, Felicity had not seen the point in leaving her apartment. She should have gone to work, but she had no idea what to tell everyone who called. She could have gone to the lair, but there was nothing she could do there that she could not do at home. Her cell would alert her if the unmasked man came up on any search and at least at home she could stay in her sweats and eat ice cream with a TV marathon. Not that Felicity was able to pay attention to anything she watched, she had no idea how Thea and Oliver were.

It was time for more ice cream.

Opening the freezer which was stocked with only ice cream, Felicity opened the tub and dug her spoon in before even closing the door. Taking a mouthful of the ice cream, she turned back towards her couch and yelped in surprise as she came face to face with a very sorrowful Oliver.

"Oliver! Don't scare me like that. What are you doing here? How did you get in? How's Thea? Is she alright? Are you okay?" She stopped then and put down the ice cream on the worktop, moved towards him and without hesitation wrapped her arms up and around him, bringing him into a hug. It only took a moment before he relaxed back into her and she felt his problems lift slightly. It was him who pulled away.

"She's alive," he whispered. "Lost a lot of blood, but she had a transfusion."

"I tried looking on the system for any information her. There wasn't anything."

"I asked them not to. I still have no idea who's behind this."

"I found an image. I'm searching for him."

Oliver nodded. "I couldn't do anything. I was helpless." He had a sad puppy dog look on his face.

"Oliver, you're never helpless." She cupped his face to try and force his eyes to hers, but he refused to open them. She kissed his cheek. "You're a hero." She kissed the other cheek. "You put everyone else first." She kissed one closed eye. "You're special." The other eyelid. "You do everything for others." The tip of his nose. "You'll both be okay." She kissed his lips and his eyes opened, set on her lipstick free lips. "We'll all be okay." She gently kissed his lips again, chastely and comfortingly. They looked at each other, her eyes still on his eyes, his eyes were roaming her face searching for an answer.

Neither of them were sure who moved first. She could have sworn it was not her after her forcing him to initiate their first kiss, but then was it her trying to comfort him in the only way she could come up with?

His hands found her hips, pulling them to him and grabbing some of the oversized t-shirt she wore, his fingertips brushed her skin there and she subconsciously opened her mouth in a moan. Her hands moved from his face, her arms wrapping around his head and he started pushing her backwards, through to her bedroom.

As the backs of her legs came up against the bed, they both instinctively pulled back slightly. His hands left her hips and cupped her face, their eyes searching each other's. "I don't know what's happening," he whispered.

"I feel like I'm taking advantage of you," she whispered in reply with a half-smile.

"I always feel like that with you."

"I guess we shouldn't."

"This isn't the right time," she agreed and then forced a fake laugh. "You are still my boss." He smiled dryly in reply but the pain was evident on his face and he made no attempt to move away. There was a pause and his face could not be read. "What's wrong? Aside from your sister and the shooting and almost dying and not knowing who's behind this all and-" He put a hand to her lips shutting her up.

"I don't want to be alone." His voice had never been so quiet and husky before, even with the Hood/Arrow's voice changer.

One hand was still on her face and the other drifted away from her lips, it was that hand that she took hold of, the other simply falling from her face. Climbing up onto the bed, she settled on one set of the pillows and pulled a blanket up over her. She patted the side of the bed next to her and then left her arm out. Oliver did not argue, did not attempt to fight as he laid down next to her and settled his head on her chest. Wrapping the arm around him, Felicity was pleased with the weight of his arm across her abdomen. Very quickly the tension eased out of his body and she could hear and feel his regular breathing. It was not long before Felicity herself fell asleep ignoring the lights that were still on, the television set quietly humming in the background and the ice cream that was melting in her kitchen.


	10. Chapter 10

"Don't you dare!" Oliver suddenly heard himself yelling inside his office, acutely aware of both Diggle and Felicity standing up and looking over. Even with the door closed, his voice had carried through to his outer office. His friends looked concerned, Oliver himself looked angrier than a volcano and Moira Queen looked as calm as ever. She always did and whilst Oliver knew that oft times he had the same ability to be emotionless and stoic, it still irked him that Moira was far better schooled at it. When he had gone to be with his sister at the hospital, Moira should have been panicked and unable to think straight, afterall her daughter was dying, instead she had ordered Diggle to remain right outside of the room, conveniently forgetting that he was on Oliver's payroll and not hers. Then she had told Oliver to not speak to anyone, not until they knew that Thea was going to be okay. She had even insisted to all of the medical staff that no one else could enter. It was as if she were afraid of who might turn up. Oliver was still furious, and confused, at her insistence that not even Roy or Felicity be told. Roy was Thea's boyfriend, he would be no threat to Thea and Felicity, from a business point of view needed to run Oliver's diary. Moira had begged him to not speak to anyone, she did not want any information getting out or people getting in. She even started controlling the medical staff to limit their numbers. And then the blood test results had come back.

"Oliver, please remain calm." Moira turned around, a smile on her face. "The staff are watching. I am aware of your, _close_," she emphasised the word, "relationships with both of them, but there must still be some boundaries."

"Mother, sometimes you are an unsympathetic bitch." In fact it was all she had been since Thea got shot.

"And you will watch your tone with me. I am your mother."

"Are we sure of that?" He demanded, still angrily yelling.

She slapped him across his cheek and he continued, bitterly. "She needed a blood transfusion, Mom, and neither of us were a match. Explain that to me." Moira said nothing, her gaze on the floor. "She's not my Dad's, is she?"

"It's complicated," she was trying to sound sympathetic. Nothing would work on Oliver.

"Who's her father? When did you realise?" He waited and she said nothing. "Was it a full blown affair or one night thing?" Another long moment of silence. "Did you ever love Dad?" His voice was quiet, fearing that her answer could destroy his whole life.

"Of course I loved your father," she answered immediately. "He was my husband."

"Yet you cheated on him?"

"Did you love Laurel? Because you cheated on her."

"Once!" He shouted. "And you cheated on Dad with Malcolm and Thea's..." It hit him just before he saw his mother turn her gaze away. "She's... Malcolm's?" He turned away from her, shaking his head in disappointment. There was nothing else going on in his head as he punched down on his desk and stormed out in an angry haze. Moira flinched at the actions, opened her mouth to call him back and then stopped when she thought better of it. Oliver was a hard man to talk to and an even harder man to console.

He never noticed her reaction, he stopped seeing her the moment the realisation hit him. Malcolm Merlyn was Thea's father. Tommy and Thea were half-siblings. It had been bad enough thinking of the awful truth that his mother had gone anywhere near Malcolm, but to think that they produced a child, it was too much for Oliver. Storming away with a red haze all around him, Oliver's face simply screamed get out of his way. Everyone obliged. When he made it to the elevator, Oliver hit the call button so hard with his index finger that either could have broken. He felt no pain from it.

It seemed like an eternity when the elevator doors finally _swooshed_ open and Oliver stepped inside knowing full well that she was right behind him. Even through the red haze of anger, Oliver's senses were still heightened. He had not seen her coming but he heard her; the delicate, fast and slightly clipped sound of Felicity's walk. Everyone had a different sound of walk. He had also smelt her approaching. Another unique tell-tale sign, one more dependent on what way the wind happened to be blowing.

The lift started its descent after Oliver hit the basement level. He needed to go fast on his motorbike, feel risky, to go so fast that all he could do was rely on his basic nature and reactions. He needed to concentrate on that action, to have nothing else in his mind other than keeping control of the bike and his life. Everything else would melt away when he was on his bike, his brain blocking it all to concentrate on the road, other vehicles and people. Oliver needed that peace.

With a hesitation clear in her voice, Felicity suddenly managed to mumble out: "Are you okay?"

How much had she and Digg heard, Oliver wondered but did not linger on as he jammed his finger onto the _Stop Elevator_ button. Refusing to face her he mumbled the horrifying truth. "Malcolm's Thea's father."

"What? Oh my God. Is there anything I can...?" She trailed off her question, both of them knew that it was a futile question. Pointless to ask and impossible to answer. There was still too much in his head; Oliver needed peace and clarity, to have his mind empty.

His movement was swift and with no conscious thought as he grabbed Felicity by the waist, hoisted her up very slightly and practically slammed her against the side of the elevator. His lips crushed to hers as his body did the same. She was trapped between him and the wall. Forcing his way into her mouth, Oliver did not even notice if she had tried to stop him. He was distantly aware of her hands on his neck, in his hair and took that as a consent. Leaving their position at her waist, Oliver's hands began to untuck her shirt from her skirt. It was bright pink, he had noticed on his way into the office, wondering if any of the previous EAs at Queen Consolidated had ever worn such bright colours to work. Briefly his hands stilled on the bare skin of her waist before stroking upwards in-between their tightly pressed bodies.

The moan that escaped her lips was what caused him to unceremoniously drop her and step away, shaking his head. Keeping his head bowed, he refused to allow himself to look back up as guilt flooded him. How could he have done that to her, crossed a line so blurred and almost attacked her for his own primal, basic need without a care or concern for her? It was almost more like the old Oliver, the playboy Oliver than the person the island had made him. It was unforgivable. As he heard the rustling of her clothing, Felicity rectifying the damage he had done, he asked gruffly, "You ready?" He meant, were her clothes decent and could he start the elevator. Oliver had no idea if that was how it sounded.

"Yeah," she mumbled ever so slightly and he punched the go button, trying to alleviate his guilt and frustration with regards to her. In the back of his mind, he was still angry with his mother, but now he was angry with himself far more. The speed of his motorbike was calling louder. At the basement level, he stepped off and her hand on his elbow briefly stopped her. Yanking it free from her soft and warm, gentle touch, he continued to stalk away. "Oliver," she called with her usual innocent, harmless voice. How could he have attacked her like that? The guilt caused him to stop and wait, although he refused to turn around; if her innocent voice daggered him, her bright, emotive eyes would kill him. "Be safe."

It was probably the one thing that he could not promise her whatsoever.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Be safe, the words still echoed around in her head. The stupid, useless, pointless words. All of her words to Oliver in the elevator had been stupid and pointless, but then what was she supposed to say? What was anyone to say? _'Oliver, I know you've got some strange foe out there who's already attacked your family once, is clearly after you, and I know that over the past few days something odd has started developing between you and I, oh and that your mother's been lying for years about having an affair, Thea being the result, so she's actually only your half-sister and the best friend who died, that you blame yourself for, that Thea had a crush on was actually her half-brother and the son of a crazy, evil foe that your mother was kinda in cahoots with, but be safe, okay?'_ Yes, Felicity, she thought to herself as she picked up her cup of hot chocolate to warm her hands, that was stupid.

She had known the minute she had seen his face that he needed to be reckless, that he needed his mind to clear completely. That meant one of three things. One – fight and kill someone, which was a no go because he did not kill anymore and it was daytime, too early for _The Vigilante_ to be out. Two – fight and destroy something at the lair, which he could do but Diggle or Felicity might try and talk to him. Three – drive hard and fast on his motorbike until he felt satisfied. Of course, Felicity had never considered that there was a fourth option that he almost completed in the elevator. She was still unsure of what to make of his actions there.

He had remarked to her that she was more than just a one off, more than just a quick screw up against a wall and yet, in that moment, in that elevator, she had almost become just that. Would that have resolved some of his anger? Would it have made things worse? Would she have allowed it? Part of her thought that, yes, she would never have stopped him, that she never would stop him, but she did not want to be a quick screw, or a long screw. Oliver was her boss, her colleague, her hero, her friend and she sometimes hoped that he could be more. Except they lived in the wrong world for that to be true and Felicity was truthfully unsure if she would want to add something to their list of what they were to each other. Could she really risk so much?

The truth was, and she knew it was the truth, he would never risk so much. He would never risk her friendship, her Hood helping skills for anything more. Even if she could be his type. Even if he truly wanted to, Oliver Queen would never risk that.

She heard a slight banging noise coming from her bedroom, it sounded perhaps like her window and someone knocking on it. Slowly Felicity stood and made her way quietly into her bedroom, hot chocolate still in her hands. If there was someone at her window, it was either a really loud burglar that had climbed up so many fire escape stairs it would be stupid, or it was Oliver. At the doorway, Felicity could see the masked figure standing there, gently knocking. It was not Oliver, it was _the Hood_, _the Vigilante_, her night-time boss. Apparently he had survived his motorbike jaunt; neither she nor Diggle had heard from Oliver since he stormed out of QC. She walked to the large window and unlocked it, opening and allowing _the Arrow_ entrance. "I'm sure you could have used the front door."

With his gruffer than usual _Vigilante_ voice, he replied, "The Hood doesn't do front doors."

"But he does talk about himself in the third person? What are you doing here?"

He took a step and somehow in one swift movement managed to put an arm around her back, his right hand cupping her cheek and bringing her close for a delicate, not chaste, but not face crushing kiss. She responded although confused, aware that there was no anger, no dire urgency like that morning until he broke away from her, his arm and hand keeping her close but their lips just so slightly apart. "I needed to apologise."

"For what?"

"This morning in the elevator. It shouldn't have happened."

"For a moment I thought you were going back on your word." He raised an eyebrow at her, questioning her. "About me not being a quick screw against a wall. Although it would have been against a mirrored elevator wall, so maybe a bit better than a brick alley wall."

"Neither. Not for you." His hood was still up, his mask still on and somehow his voice sounded not like Oliver, not the daytime, billionaire Oliver anyway.

"So you came to apologise for a kiss with a kiss? Even for me that makes very little sense."

"Since I came back from the island, things have been different. I thought I was going to do all of this alone. I thought that there would be no remorse, no need for a conscience, no need for help or friends or anyone to care about. Even in my personal life, other than my mother and Thea, there was no need for anyone else, no ability to have anyone else in my life."

There was a long pause. "But? Until?" she questioned, her voice shocking her with its own gruffness.

"You. You gave me a conscience, a reason to not follow the list, to find a way to fight after Tommy without betraying him. You never thought I was a killer, even after you saw me kill for you." He gently kissed her forehead. "I need you in my life, both of my lives, all of my lives."

"And you have me."

"Not how I want," he whispered and gently kissed her cheek. "Not how you want." He kissed her jaw.

"Oliver, stop teasing me," she pleaded attempting to step back. He was too strong. "We keep edging to something and then you pull back. I get that you can be attracted to me, that I can be your type, my self-esteem is greatly improved, thank you, but you keep pulling me close and then pushing me away and it isn't fair. If I can't be with you, let me not be with you."

"You can't be Oliver Queen's girlfriend."

"I know." Was he trying to upset her?

"It would be too public, you'd be in danger."

"I know, but I already am sometimes, by the way."

"But you're already _the Hood's_ lifesaver_, the Hood's_ secret. Only Lance knows you work for _the Hood _at nights. How would anyone know what you and _the Hood_ did after work, later at night?"

"What are you…?" she stopped herself and then got a cheeky grin. "Are you suggesting role play, _Arrow_?"

It was rare to see Oliver Queen smile genuinely, it happened and mainly only to those he cared for most, but it was rare. It was rarer still to see a smile underneath the Hood, from the masked figure who stalked Starling City at nights, bringing justice to anyone that needed it. Felicity saw the smile in the dim light as she moved forward and kissed him.


	11. Chapter 11

A month after the Vigilante's secret computer hacker became his even more secret lover, Oliver was sitting in his office when Roy barged in, straight past Felicity who followed quickly after. "Sorry, Oliver, I couldn't stop him," she apologized. No one could really stop him since the Mirakuru had altered him.

"What can I help you with, Roy?" he asked. Roy was a reluctant member of Team Arrow, clashing with the true identity behind the hero and relation to Thea.

"It's Thea."

"What about her?"

"She went to lunch with your mother yesterday and she never came back. I figured she was at work last night, after our… shift I went home and she still wasn't there. Maybe she stayed at _Verdant_, but she's not there now."

"Felicity, check the security tapes, see if she was there at all." Oliver turned to Roy, "She's probably just blowing off some steam." Neither Queen child was talking to Moira anymore. Thea had moved in with Roy, Oliver spent most nights after his alter-ego's shift with his alter-ego's girlfriend.

"She's been off for months now."

"Roy, give her a break. She's found out her father isn't her father and her boyfriend is sometimes somewhat aloof and secretive. She'll deal with it in her own way."

Felicity re-entered the room with a worried look on her face. "I think I've figured out how she's dealing with things."

"What?" both men asked in unison. Felicity's face changed to one of apprehension as she turned the pad around to them and pressed play. The video from _Verdant_ clearly showed Thea being handed something from an unknown male figure as she looked around her suspiciously. Felicity started another file on the pad, a video from the toilets in _Verdant_. Not the staff toilets, the public ones. Again, it clearly showed Thea preparing to take drugs. Oliver took the pad from Felicity's hands and placed it screen down on his desk before any of them could watch Thea take the drugs. It was obvious that she did.

"So where is she?" Roy asked.

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. "Video shows her leaving _Verdant_ soon after. I can try and use street cams to track her, but at the time of night it could take ages. I'm searching for her in live streams though."

"And the guy?" Oliver demanded. "Find me him."

"I got his face from another camera, the search is running. Oliver, there's something else." He raised an eyebrow at her. "The guy giving her the drugs, he's the guy who shot her and at your mom."

The Queens were most definitely under attack.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

There was no trace of Thea, or the mystery man that Felicity was searching for also. The only theory was that Thea had been dragged too far down in the drug world, even Roy could not find any leads on her despite it being his sole mission in the world. Oliver tried his hardest to keep Thea from the forefront of his mind all of the time, it would do no good to be totally consumed with trying to save his sister. He had other people to protect and he still had a city to protect. Still, at least three times a day he would ask Felicity if she had found anything on Thea or the person who had clearly tried to kill her.

"Any luck?" he asked for the second time that day as he left his office, putting on his jacket. Felicity shook her head as she turned her computer off and he held out her jacket, helping her put it on.

"I've been thinking though," she said as they walked side by side to the elevator. He raised a cheeky eyebrow at her. Shaking her head at him, Felicity pressed the call button on the elevator and then continued. "What if our mystery man was never trying to kill Thea?"

"He shot her."

The doors dinged open and he waited for Felicity to enter before following her and pressing the basement button; Diggle should already be waiting for them. "Yes, but it wasn't that serious. Oliver, those masked men were questioning where daddy is and said that your mom was wrong. What if they meant Malcolm? What if this isn't about you, but about Malcolm?"

"He's dead, too. I killed him."

"The world thought that you were dead."

"I killed him. Killed. He's dead."

"Maybe they were trying to get your mom to reveal the truth then."

"How did they know?"

"I don't know, but nothing's happened to any of us since. What if it was all about getting Thea to go off the rails and turn to someone for drugs, the same someone who shot her and could, potentially be behind the Queen break in?"

Breaking cover slightly, Oliver kissed her on top of her head, both of them smiling. "Do you have an image of this guy?"

"Yeah, right in here." Felicity started going through her papers as the doors opened and they both exited on the basement level. Oliver stopped and Felicity continued on a few more steps, trying to find the image until she noticed he had stopped. "Oliver, what is it?" She looked at him and then around the basement, recognizing his worried face. His Spidey-senses were clearly tingling.

"What's wrong?" Diggle asked, standing by the open back door of Oliver's car. A familiar noise whooshed through the underground parking level and Felicity jumped as an arrow splintered into the concrete behind her, perfectly in the middle of her and Oliver. Oliver was already moving toward her, moving her to behind the nearest car, acutely aware of Diggle drawing his gun and moving to a safer position.

Before he had Felicity safe, the blonde paused looking at the source of the arrow. "Oliver," she grabbed his wrist. "That's him. He shot Thea." He followed her eyes and his world dropped away from him.

"Hello Oliver."

"Slade?"


	12. Chapter 12

She knew that name, just as she knew the face, but whilst Felicity knew the face from the few screenshots of Thea's drug pusher and shooter, she knew the name from the rare occasions that Oliver spoke to her about his time on the island. Often when he spoke about the five years there, Oliver rarely mentioned names as if the memories were painful enough without putting names to the people for others. Sometimes, usually when they were alone, he used names. Slade had been one of them. As far as Felicity could make out from the bits of history Oliver chose to share Slade had been a friend, an ally on the island, but that things had gone bad. He had never elaborated, but seemed to speak of him with a fondness. She had taken his tone to imply that perhaps Slade was dead. If he were then it was a ghost shooting arrows at them.

Diggle was behind Oliver's car, his gun out, but all of his bullets were missing their target. Oliver had abandoned Felicity behind the nearest car and had managed to get to his car with Diggle providing cover, retrieving the few weapons that he kept hidden within. It had all happened so fast, Oliver's spidey-senses had clearly tingled and the two men had automatically scanned for safe locations whereas Felicity had stood momentarily searching out the source of the danger. How could she know where to hide without knowing where the danger was coming from?

"Surprised to see me?" Slade said. Felicity started breathing quieter, hoping that somehow it would keep her off of Slade's radar. "I thought we should spend some time together on your turf."

"What have you done to my sister?" Oliver demanded. It did not sound as if they were friends, Felicity noted, but was that because of Thea, the Mirakuru or something else?

"Provided what she wanted."

"Where is she?"

"Truthfully? I have no idea. Maybe she's with her half-brother. Other half-brother."

There were more whooshes of arrows, firing of bullets and the sound of footsteps. Every time that no one was talking, that there was a weapon silence, Felicity would hold her breath, waiting to hear something indicating what was happening. During a silence did it mean someone had been hit? Even if it were Slade who took a bullet or an arrow it would take far more than that to do anything to him.

"So you tried to kill her and then sold her drugs to, what? Lose her."

"No," he laughed. "For you to lose her." There was more movement, more whooshing and then Slade continued. "I like your little alter-ego, by the way. Trying to keep those you care about safe. How has it worked out for you, _Vigilante_?"

There was more movement, louder and Felicity's attention was drawn to her left where Diggle was hiding behind the car. And then there was silence.

It all happened in slow motion. John Diggle came into her view, falling slowly backwards, an arrow protruding from his chest and his body lifeless. Felicity's body moved without conscious thought.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

"Diggle!" her voice screamed loudly across the empty car park and Oliver saw her run from her hiding spot straight into Slade's view. He knew that she was never truly hidden from anyone; Slade knew where all three of them were, but at least she was moderately safe. Oliver had been trying to draw the other man away to no avail and now Diggle lay on the concrete floor, blood spreading across the grey. Felicity was sobbing over him, feeling his pulse, begging him to stay awake, to stay alive, to hold on.

"One down," Slade smiled and Oliver watched as he took a step closer to his injured friend and her, the woman he loved. "You, my pretty, are the one thing I take the most pride in."

Oliver found himself frozen as Slade took another step closer and smiled down at her. Felicity mumbled something, her head facing Diggle. When there was no answer she stood up and glared at the Mirakuru survivor and screamed, "Why?"

Oliver stepped closer, trying to get Slade's attention. "I'm all yours."

Slade ignored him. "You were just his EA, his Tech-Geek, you were never even on my radar, but then my men saw you at the Queen Mansion so I started watching you more and then I realized that the two of you were lovers. He tried to be so alone and aloof, but the girl still falls in love with him. The girls always fall in love with him."

A pang of guilt flashed through Oliver.

"Is that what this is about?" Felicity demanded, far spunkier than Oliver had ever considered she could be when faced with someone like Slade. "Ruining his life for a girl? Pretty high-school if you ask me." And then Oliver's world went crazy.

The blood stained, violence hating, messy blonde haired IT wiz suddenly drew Diggle's gun from her side and fired over and over at Slade until there were no bullets left. Slade drew his bow aiming at Felicity, and Oliver, with his final arrow, aimed it into nowhere.


	13. Chapter 13

Oliver's arrow, aimed at nothing, collided with Slade's in mid-air, but Oliver was already focused on Slade himself, launching himself at his one-time friend. How had things become so complicated? They fell to the ground, Oliver on top for only a moment as Slade gained the upper hand. Until both men stopped; Oliver froze in panic and Slade grinned as Felicity's scream pierced the air.

"Later, Olly." Oliver did not even look at Slade, did not even know in what direction he left, instead he went straight to Felicity's side. She was lying next to Diggle, her own blood inter-mingling with their friend's. Whilst Diggle still had an arrow protruding from his chest, his eyes closed and his breathing feint, Felicity was screaming loudly, an arrow in her upper right thigh.

"It's going to be okay, Felicity," Oliver said forcing as much calm and reassurance into his voice as was possible. She calmed slightly, gritting her teeth in pain as opposed to screaming out in it so Oliver must have calmed her. Oliver did not feel calm. Two of the most important people in his life were potentially dying right in front of him, his sister was missing or already dead from whatever drugs she was probably selling her body to get and his mother meant almost nothing to him anymore. He knew that it was not going to be okay. Even if he could save both of the people bleeding out, Slade would be back.

Slade would be back.

He shook the thought from his head and focused instead on Felicity, checking around her wound. "Okay, your bleeding is minimal, no major artery was hit."

"It hurts!"

"Well, yeah, you have an arrow lodged in your thigh." Guilt flooded him; his aim at Slade's arrow should have been better. He thought it would have knocked the enemy arrow completely off course.

Despite the situation, Felicity placed a hand on his cheek. He could feel the sticky blood, a thin barrier between her skin and his. How much of it was hers, how much was Diggle's? "This is not your fault," she commanded. Often he disregarded her inner strength, the fact that she was able to pull it all together and comfort him, an act that he knew seemed like he could do it easily. He could not. "Fix Diggle."

"I can't treat either of you down here. I can't get you both to safety." There was no way that he could get them both into the car and drive to the nearest hospital. He grabbed out his cell, but there was no signal. He knew that there was no signal, there never had been down here.

"Go and get help," she commanded him again. "Elevator, one floor, yell and come back."

"I can't leave you." Somehow it was all wrong. He had no idea how to do anything, what he needed to do, his mind was a blank. "You're… you're all I have right now."

"And if you stay here, manage to save me, Diggle is dead and we'll all lose." Her hand fell from his cheek as her blinks started to get longer.

"Stay awake!" he commanded fiercely, his instincts kicking back in. He was already on his feet when he heard her mumble: "Go then."

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

The first thing she felt was a flicker of pain and then it disappeared, replaced by a slightly floaty feeling. And something was numb. A whole lot of her was numb. She squinted her eyes as they started to open, the bright light directly above her head blinding her. Who thought it would be good to put a light right there? It took only another moment to remember exactly everything that happened.

"Diggle?" she said, trying to sit upright and wincing as her head hurt.

"Hey, stay down," Oliver said, his face coming into her eye line. There was a reassuring smile on his face. "You lost some blood so you're going to be a bit weak."

"I got arrowed, too." She moved an arm down to her leg and felt the bandages all around her right thigh. "Where's Diggle? He isn't… He's…"

"He's in recovery," Oliver reassured her. Finding the bed settings, he handed the remote control to her so that she could adjust the bed, allowing her to sit up without exerting any force.

"What aren't you telling me?" There was silence. "Oliver!"

"The arrow splintered as it hit him, there's a piece lodged in there. They can't get it out, it's too close to his heart. They say he should regain consciousness, but he will have limited mobility."

"How very Iron Man," she smiled bitterly, fighting back tears in her eyes.

"It's for the best," a female voice said from the shadows. Felicity looked over and saw Sara Lance peek out from the darkness.

"How is that for the best?" Felicity angrily demanded.

Oliver took her hand and tried to calm her. "Slade is after everyone who I care about, everyone I love, everyone that can help me. Diggle's been taken out of the picture, but at least I know where he is, that he's alive."

Nodding, she looked around the room. "Where's my tablet? Or a laptop. I need to get working on this." She was not sure exactly what she needed to do, but she had to find Slade. She still had to find Thea.

"You need to get packing."

"Sara," Oliver warned.

"You agreed with me, Olly."

Despite things, Felicity hated when Sara called him Olly. Only people from his previous life called him that, most of them assuming that he was still that person, Felicity knew that he was not anymore. "You agreed what with her, Oliver?"

He bowed his head down, still holding her hand tightly. "You need to leave Starling. It's not safe for you here."

"So you're going to take me somewhere?"

"Slade's after him and everyone he cares about, Olly needs to stay here and fight for his City."

"Get out," Felicity snapped at Sara. At least when Oliver was being emotionless, taking a stand and being practical, you could still see the emotion behind his eyes. There was nothing behind Sara's that Felicity could see. Sara kept talking and Felicity felt her blood pressure rising and rising. "Get out!" she screamed. "Oliver, make her!"

"Sara," he said loudly and both women silenced. "Go find Roy, bring him here. Don't tell him anything."

"Yes, boss," she responded sarcastically.

Once she was gone, Felicity finally looked up at Oliver. He was already watching her. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "But she's right. I'm going to have Roy take you somewhere. Away. Where no one knows who you are. He can protect you. Possibly better than I can against Slade."

"He won't leave Thea."

"Yes he will. Because I promise with everything that I am, that I will defeat Slade, that you and Roy will come home and he will come home to Thea."

"And I'll come home to…?"

"Me. No more secrets." He moved closer to her, one hand still holding hers as his other moved to cup her cheek, bringing their foreheads together. "I promise."

"How will you know where I am?"

"I'll find you." He kissed her gently. "I'll always find you."


	14. Chapter 14

It had been two long years for Felicity Smoak ever since she had left behind everything that meant anything in her life. Two long years since she had last been online, watched television, listened to music or seen another human adult other than Roy. He had become her rock. In the middle of nowhere, he was the only person she could depend on at all. She would have starved to death after a few days if he had not have been there to hunt. She would only have had rainwater to drink if he had not have been able to trek to the nearest clean stream. Neither of them had been able to start a fire at first, but they were both able to now. She knew she should have listened to Oliver and Diggle when they wanted her to learn more useful life skills. Daily she thought about the two men, wondering if Diggle was okay, if he was still confined to a bed. She wondered if Oliver ever visited him, how Oliver was coping with no IT geek girl to depend on, how his battle with only Sara by his side was going. She missed them both all of the time. She missed electricity. She missed her creature comforts, the safety the outside world brought. There was one small and dirty mirror in the hut that Felicity tried not to look in too often. She had changed too much over two years. She did not like looking at her dull, lifeless brown hair and skin that was pastier and paler than most corpses; Roy's had gone the same from the lack of sun.

There was something peaceful about her new life, something that she almost enjoyed. Except for the fact that she had no idea what the new Doctor was like, or who ended up on the Iron Throne. She had written her own endings in her mind many times over, including the ending of her own story.

Tending to the fire, because it was always cold in their little hut even in the summer because all of the ancient old trees around it always kept the sun away, Felicity suddenly became aware of a presence. Roy was always just appearing, in a stealthy Arrow like way thanks to Mirakuru and his super-soldier ways. But she had always been used to it. She always thought, hoped for a moment that it was Oliver standing there when she turned around. So she stood and turned, and then froze.

It was not Roy standing in front of her with a fresh collection of firewood. The man who stood before her had a fresh red scar on his cheek and he looked old and almost haggard. "Where's Roy?" she stuttered out of her mouth.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

It had taken him far longer than he had expected; two years since he sent Roy off with Felicity, two years it had taken to finally defeat Slade, the man who wanted to destroy his life. Soon after Felicity had vanished, Diggle had become safe enough to be moved. He had regained consciousness, but the arrow shard was still too close to his heart for them to operate, he was basically confined to a bed, unable to move without risking the shard moving, too. There had been many nights when Oliver had wanted to talk to his friend and ex-bodyguard, but he needed to remain distant. Sara was right that Slade would not kill someone that was already out of sight. And so he still refused to speak to his mother, keeping up the pretence of hating her for betraying his father with Malcolm and lying about Thea. She thought he truly hated her.

It had taken about six months before Oliver had finally found Thea, a needle in her arm, her hair scraggy and falling out, pale and bruised, but alive. He had taken her to the only person he could trust with her, the man he had once killed, the man who was truly her father – Malcolm, and Moira had hated Oliver ever since. That was everyone he cared for out of his life other than Sara who was the only person he could truly count on, truly trust and the only person that he could depend on and invite into both sides of his life.

By day he was still the billionaire Oliver Queen, working hard in his position at Queen Consolidated. A year after he discovered Slade was back, he had learnt that Isabel was working for him, that she had bought into QC on Slade's orders to further hurt him. There was nothing he could do about it, except try and keep his company afloat with someone on the other side trying to destroy it. For the most part QC had survived and come out the other side better than it had gone in. Isabel was out of the picture now. QC was all his again.

By night he was the lone Arrow. With no backup other than Sara. He refused to involve either of the Lances for which Sara was pleased, but they would give Lance information when they needed to. They never asked it of him. The Lances had to remain safe; neither Lance knew that Sara was back. Laurel still believed her sister to be dead.

Sara had been his one and only constant in the two years since he had sent Felicity away. The only person who knew him truly, the only person that he could talk to and put his life in the hands of. He no longer had the IT geek to help him search for answers by day or be by his side by night, but he did still have someone to keep him sane. She encouraged him to forget about all of those for which he cared, that it would be the only way to truly keep them safe. Sometimes it seemed as if she were taunting him that Slade had already won: Oliver was alone bar her. But Oliver refused to believe it, he refused to consider that Slade had won. He would not become bitter in his quest to defeat Slade.

How would he reclaim Felicity if he were the bitter and broken man who had once returned from five years on an island?

So he had moved into Felicity's apartment. He had needed to move somewhere due to his 'hatred' of his mother and before sending her away, Felicity's bed had been theirs most nights. Other than moving in some of his belongings, his clothes, some weapons, he kept her apartment exactly how she had kept it. He was keeping it ready for the day that she returned. And he never allowed himself to think that perhaps the day would not come. Whenever the thought started to form, he would look around at the place that screamed '_Felicity'_ and smile, knowing that he would see her again. Or he would look at her desk in the Arrow's Lair and see her sitting there, Diggle standing next to her and he knew that he would reclaim his life and his love.

Even when the fighting was done, once Slade was defeated, when Oliver had recovered from the battle to end all battles, he knew he still had to get his life back. He had no idea how to find Roy and Felicity, but he knew that he would. So before he had settled down to rest, the battle weary Oliver had set things in motion on Felicity's precious computers. He needed to find her and Roy, Thea needed him to almost as much as needed to himself.

It took another two months before he found any kind of trace, and then another month to get him to where he now stood, his eyes finally on her untouched beauty. She turned around and he wanted to run to her, cover the few steps and crush her with his arms, but he had no idea how she felt. He had spent two years in an emotional limbo, waiting for her, doing everything for her. Had she?

"Where's Roy?"

She looked different to the Felicity in his mind, to the few images in her apartment. Without make up and her trademark blonde hair now brown and duller, Felicity looked completely natural in a way that he had never seen her before. Even her once brightly coloured shirt had faded with time. It could be the two years of waiting to find her, or missing her, but she looked more radiant and beautiful than at any other time in his memory. He was sure that he looked different, too, he had aged more than two years in the twenty-four months and he had new scars. Most of them could not be seen, but the fresh red scar on his cheek was visible to the whole world. It had been a tough one to explain as Oliver Queen, CEO of QC. He had not slept more than four hours at a time in years and it showed on his face.

"He's gone home."

"This is home."

"He's gone home to Thea."

"You found her?"

He nodded, happy to see a smile cross her face. Had he made a mistake in coming to find her? "I almost fell into one of his traps, but then he saw me coming, too."

"He's been a good protector; you chose well."

"I came as soon as I found you."

"Like you promised."

She was making no move towards him and it made him hesitant to move to her, even though all that he wanted to do was envelope her in his arms and never let her go. If she thought of this hut in the middle of nowhere as her home, though, perhaps she did not want to return with him. "I've thought about you every day," he admitted. The smile on her face reassured him slightly, but she still made no movement. "I've made it safe for you, for us. We can go home." He held out his hand to her and she bit her lip, her eyes moving from his hand and back to his eyes.

"It's not that easy."

"Yes. Yes, it is. I've been living in your apartment. Nothing's changed there. Well, except the clothes and toothbrush I keep there. The freezer's filled with mint choc chip."

"Oh, my God," she smiled. "Two years and honestly that is all I want to eat right now."

Closing the distance to her, ignoring the fact that she had made no move to him because he needed her, Oliver held her by the arms and pulled her to him. Their lips met and he was pleased when she did not stop him, when she shrugged his hands away and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hearing a noise, he abruptly stopped the kiss and whispered, "There's someone nearby." It might simply be Roy, Oliver knew that, but it might also be someone else. It would never matter that Slade was gone, Oliver would always think the worst.

"Like I said, it's not that easy." She moved away from him and gestured for him to sit on the couch that for two years had been Roy's bed at night; there was only one bedroom. He sat down cautiously and she sat on the small coffee table in front of him, their knees touching.

"What's happened in two years that means you don't want to come home? I did all of this for you to be safe and then come home, so that there would be a home for you."

"And I want to come home. I want to be in that home with you, but things are different now." His eyes questioned her. "Roy and I left, with the cash you gave us and the false identities Lyla was able to procure. We travelled for about three weeks before we found this spot. The nearest towns are a two day hike away for Roy. The trees old and tall enough to prevent any satellite scans penetrating to the ground. Even infra-red shouldn't be able to pick up the heat from the constant fire." She cleared her throat. "Soon after we set up here, we both got sick. Really badly for at least a week before Roy started to recover. We figured it was his Mirakuru that helped his recovery. We thought I was going to do die. I couldn't keep anything down. He didn't want to stray too far to hunt or find water. I truly thought I was dying. One night he even whispered it to me and I figured I was doomed." She gave a little laugh. "I begged him to take me to the nearest town. He said no and he hated himself for it. Then one day, it all changed."

"What happened?"

"It stopped. After weeks and weeks, I finally started to keep water down, to be able to move around the hut. I was no longer confined to a bed feeling like death. Then the headaches started. Constantly. I could tell time by them." There was another noise and Felicity turned to the bedroom, Oliver followed her gaze. "Wait a sec," she asked, moving to the door. She peered in and then returned to sitting opposite Oliver. "I can remember how it all happened. It was morning; morning's the only time that any sun gets down here. And I was staring up at all of the leaves wondering quite how far up they all went. You can't see any stars at night, but I wondered if you could reach them if you climbed the tree. And then, with a smile I wondered if you could climb those trees." She paused, sighing. "And it was like I just knew."

"Knew?"

"Oliver," she took a deep breath and took hold of his hands. "I never meant for this. And it complicates things and I don't really care. I don't want anything from you, do you understand that?" She kissed his hands, smiling hesitantly at him.

"I have no clue."

"I convinced Roy to take me to town once. It took forever. I snuck away from him and dialled your number from a payphone." There were tears in her eyes. "But I hung up before it could even ring. I knew that I couldn't speak to you and I knew you'd trace, even a hang up. But I wanted to call you."

"To tell me what?"

"When you sent me away, I had no idea, believe me, I was pregnant." He felt the colour drain from his face. "John Oliver Smoak, your son, is asleep in the other room. I mean, I hope you don't mind the name. I figured we both respect and love Diggle, and I thought it too presumptuous to make him a Queen, so Oliver. Not that we got him registered or anything. Only Roy knows about him. So he's not officially a Smoak. Or a Queen. Or even really a John. But he is my son. Our son."

The famous Felicity babble that Oliver had missed so much almost washed completely over him as the news sank in. He was a father. He had a son, a son that he had never met. Felicity was still babbling and Oliver took his hands from hers and cupped her face, kissing her lovingly. When he pulled away she was smiling in relief.

"I've told him about you. I mean as much as a fifteen month old can understand. But he only knows _this_. He only knows Roy and I, trees and grass, stories and make believe. I can't just go home with you. Ignore the fact that I was Oliver Queen's EA, rumoured to have slept her way there who returns with the Queen Heir. Everyone would question us forever and I can't handle that, and won't put him in that. And he has no idea of the real world out there."

Nodding he leant his forehead against the woman who was emanating motherhood. "I'll do whatever you want. We'll take things however slowly that you want. But, Felicity, you aren't my EA anymore and he is the child of two people who love each other. No one will argue that, I promise you." They smiled at each other. "I keep my promises."

"Eventually," she joked. "He, uh, he's waking up. I guess I wanted to wait, to ask you if you wanted to meet him. If you wanted to be Oliver or Daddy."

"Daddy." His response was immediate, there was no hesitation, no doubt and no question.

"I'll go get him." She stood up and paused at the door, turning back to him. "Just so you know," she warned. "He is the spitting image of you."

_**The End**_

_**A/N: **I just want to say a huge thank you to all of the follows, favourites and reviews of this, the first thing I wrote in two years. It's been a lovely welcome to the Arrow and Olicity fandom. I was actually really nervous posting this final chapter as I fear I haven't lived up to some of the expectations from reviewers, but, I hope you all did like it! Thank you for reading!_


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